Toward a sociology of social scientific knowledge: Survey research and ethnomethodology's asymmetric alternates

When abstract, quantitative and generalizing sociologies are juxtaposed to qualitative sociologies, the relationship is often seen as complementary or competitive. Our purpose is to articulate a different type of relationship between abstract social scientific knowledge (as exemplified in Survey Res earch [SR]) and the form of concrete and particularized knowledge represent ed in ethnomethodological conversation analysis. SR, historically, represen ts what we (following Jean Converse) refer to as the 'ascendance of the obj ectivized subjective realm'. Like other kinds of tin Ted Porter's phrase) ' mechanical objectivity', this ascendance is everywhere made possible becaus e it is accompanied by practitioners' (researchers' and interviewers') taci t, practical forms of knowledge that enable them to work through the situat ed problems endemic to SR. As endeavours that locate orderliness and social organization in the details of actual social activity, ethnomethodology an d conversation analysis find that SR Centres have intrinsic interest as sit es of locally-produced structures. Investigating the situated tacit practic es of investigators actually conducting SR and survey interviews, ethnometh odological and conversation analytical approaches to SR are also akin to th e Sociology of Scientific Knowledge (SSK), which has largely investigated p ractices in natural science laboratories. This may suggest that there is 's ymmetry' between natural and social science, but we also argue that 'asymme try' is a serviceable notion for science studies. Indeed, understanding the asymmetry between survey-based and ethnomethodological social sciences off ers potential for communication (rather than a 'state of non-intercourse') between sociologists and the scientists they study. As an illustration of t he Sociology of Social Scientific Knowledge (SSSK), we examine a successful attempt at 'refusal conversion' in an SR Centre.